'You have grown just fine', Viktor's words echoed in Greem's mind after he dismissed the team and returned to his chamber.
Greem lived in constant comparison with his siblings. His older brother Vincent, B-rank necromancer especially, was Kael's favourite asset. The middle child, his elder sister Alicia Ironguard, however, was standing as a proud C-rank. Unlike Vincent who was already a higher-up, there was a long standing rivalry between Greem and Alicia. And he was catching up to her.
That's where Viktor's words came from.
And it was just the beginning.
Greem looked at the blue pannel in front of his eyes, a system sheet that only he could see. He had tried cameras, people, infrarouge CCTV...None could catch what he was seeing.
[Mission - C-rank Expedition
Description: Your team has successfully been assigned to a C-rank expedition. Viktor mentioned that there would be only [Fiends] hunters this time around. As such, five teams of D-rank hunters (incl. yours) and 3 C-rank hunters have been deployed. Your goal is to accumulate as much contribution as possible.
Rewards: 0-20% Random D-rank stats, 20-40% Random E-rank stats, E-rank Skill Book]
'The rewards are amazing...This is the equivalent of a dozen regular missions. If a regular mission is worth weeks' of training, then this is worth at least six months' worth of training. Plus, a skill-book...I did not know I could receive skill books, something tangible, from the system', Greem analysed
This was something beyond his expectations. At this rate, becoming a C-rank hunter would not take much time. But he kept his calm. High rewards came with high risks. He was still going to a gate ranked higher than his or his teammates' rank. They needed to get prepared.
As he tried to get some sleep, Greem's mind started to analyse the day. There was a lot to process. The two lurker dungeon clears, the interaction with his father, the new expedition they enrolled for.
Was his team ready?
Borin reliable axeman and true barbarian, would work him on the frontline. With his [Provocation] and [Berserker Rage] skills, he could hold his ground against most D-rank foes. His accuracy and slow movements left to be desired, but his peak D-rank strength stat made up for that. In his thirties, he also had quite a lot of experience. However, this also meant that his potential was limited. Maybe C-rank would be his limit, if he ever achieved it.
Lira, sharp ranger, would support them from a distance. Her [Rapid Shots] and [Bow Mastery] skills were both D-rank already. If not for her sharp tongue, she would be a perfect team member. In her early twenties, she possessed a lot of potential, and was considered a 'rookie', a term among fiends to designate those who had the potential to become B-rank, a higher up in other words. Greem went to great lengths to recruit her.
Jask is the veteran, keeping the team focused and grounded. He was a strong scout, and possessed the rare [Poison Crafting] skill, which allowed him to brew both toxins and antidotes. He also knew a lot of skills like [Stealth], [Dagger Mastery] and [Backstab]. With more than 20 years of experience, he had been a great asset to the team. The question was: would he ever reach C-rank?
Everyone possessed limits. Genetic limits of how strong they could become. The growth rate would slow down infinitely upon reaching them. Well, everyone possessed limits but one person. Greem Ironguard, possessor of the system.
Last but not least, there was Vessa, dark priest, and capable of [Dark Healing] and [Shadow Binding]. She knew only two spells, which was a shame, but she could also defend herself with her [Dagger Mastery], which she learned from Jask.
Their team was balanced, but the difference between individual strength was becoming clearer by the day. Jask was carrying the team at first, but now both Lira and Greem had caught up to him in terms of contributions. Vessa and Borin, however, were progressing very slow in comparison.
He did not want to replace them yet. After all, it was hard finding teammates you trusted.
Instead, he wanted a way to strengthen them...
Whenever they completed a mission, they would receive a certain amount of credits. Half of it would be split among them based on contributions. Greem took 20%, Jask and Lira took 10% each, and the rest shared the remaining 10%.
However, the other half went to administrative, occasional gearing up needs and situations like these.
They had accumulated close to 20 000 credits with the clearing of the 8 lurker den.
'Should I buy skill books?', Greem wondered
There were two ways to learn a skill. You could either learn it from someone who already knew the skill, but it was often a long and tedious process. Or you could learn it from a skill book.
This is how Greem earned most of his skills after all.